Fukasa no Kodoku
by XxKageTenshixX
Summary: It was the reason why his happiness was ripped from him, the reason why everything seemed to fall apart. He only wished he could go back and fixed that one night everything seemed to go wrong.
1. Chapter 1  Promises

**Author Note:** This is one of the many new stories that I will be posting this month. This doesn't have a beta, so I am very sorry about that mistakes and whatnots in here.

For those waiting on the next chapters of **The Darkness That Binds Him** and **The Fourteenth Child**, I will try to get those chapters out by Saturday. I've been extremely busy with school lately and honestly, I've only written the first page of **TDTBH** and about two pages worth of **TFC**.^^"

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

* * *

><p>Chapter 1 - Promises<p>

"Mommy! Look at what I can do!"

A small child sat in the grass behind his house, dirt covering his small frame. His bright blue eyes shining with excitement as a woman wearing a long yellow dress walked towards him. Her hair was a bright red hair reached all the way down to her knees. She had blue eyes just like her son, except hers was a few shades deeper. She kneeled down next to her son, ignoring the dirt that got on her dress.

"What is it?"

His mother watched with wide eyes as he lifted his hands in front of himself and the rock that previously sat in between his legs shook slightly before rising from the ground. It moved in a circle a few times before dropping back to the ground abruptly. The six year old giggled at the new trick he was able do.

Before, the small blonde boy was only able to do small things like turn on the lights in his house without having to touch the switch. When he showed his parents didn't seem as excited as he was and told him not to do it again.

He looked at his mother, hoping he had impressed her with this trick. He frowned when he saw a worried look on her face.

"Don't you like what I can do, Mommy?"

His mother looked at her son and gave him a shaky smile. She patted his head lovingly.

"Of course I do, Sweetie. I think it's a great thing that you can do these things. That means you're different than everyone else."

"But I don't want to be different! I want to be just like Big Brother!" He puffed out his tiny chest.

His mother laughed slightly, knowing her youngest son always admired his older brother, Kyuubi. "But, Naruto, being different isn't such a bad thing. It means that you're more special than everyone else."

Naruto blinked. "More special?"

His mother nodded. "Yes. Everyone is special, you just happen to be a little more than the rest." She stood and dusted off her dress. "Now, let hurry inside." She smiled when her son shook his head frantically. "I made cookies."

"Chocolate Chip?" He asked.

"Yep. Now hurry and go wash up. Then you can have you're cookies!" She said, shooing him off. She watched him raced towards the house with a frown on her face.

Naruto quickly washed up like his mother asks and started stuffing his face with cookies. His brother came home soon after.

"I'm home!" A voice called from the front door.

Naruto shoved the rest of the cookie in his mouth then raced towards the living room. "Kwuuvi!" He yelled, hugging the red headed male.

Kyuubi kneeled down, laughing at the crumbs that covered Naruto's face. "Hey there Kit." He said, wiping off the crumbs.

Naruto smiled. All traces of the cookies gone from his smiling face. "Kyuubi! I missed you, brother." The blonde boy said, snuggling against Kyuubi's shirt.

Kyuubi was eight years older than Naruto. He had their mother's fiery red hair that he kept in a ponytail to his mid back. He let his bangs frame around his face, some of it hiding his red eyes.

"I'm hurt. Didn't you miss me?"

Naruto leaned over to look behind Kyuubi to see an older copy of himself. He grinned, letting go of his brother to hug the other man.

"Of course I miss you, daddy! Did you get me anything?"

The man laughed and told him to close his eyes. Naruto closed his eyes tightly and when he opened them he squealed and grabbed the fox plushy, holding it tightly to his chest.

"I love it!" Naruto smiled, examining his new toy.

"I'm glad that you do. Now I have to go see Mommy now, okay?" Naruto nodded and watched his father walk down the hall and enter his and his mother's room.

"Come on! I want to play cards with you!"

Naruto took his brothers hand and dragged him to his bedroom. He went to his dresser and emptied the pack of Poker cards on the floor. Kyuubi gathered the cards and started shuffling them. Naruto sat across from him and watched as the cards were laid out.

They played for a couple of hours before Kyuubi announced it was time for him to go to bed. Naruto pouted.

"But I'm not sleepy." He whined.

Kyuubi smiled slightly. "I know you aren't but you have to get up for school tomorrow."

Naruto pouted again but began gathering the cards with Kyuubi's help.

"Goodnight Kyuubi!"

"Night Kit." Kyuubi ruffled his hair before leaving the room.

Naruto quickly changed into his pajamas and put on his walrus hat that his mother had giving him for his birthday last year. Grabbing his fox plushy, he headed to his parents room.

"…you didn't see it, Minato!" His mother's voice drifted from behind his parents' door.

Calm down, Kushina, I'm sure it not what you think—." His father tried to say.

"He was levitating a _rock_!"

Naruto clutched onto his fox tighter as the silence in the room went on. As quietly as he could, he opened the door and peeked inside. It was a while before his mother spoke.

"I'm worried about this Minato. This is not supposed to happen." Her whispered wouldn't have been heard from outside the door. "He's not supposed to have those powers. It's—"

Her sentence was interrupted and she and Minato looked towards their bedroom door to see Naruto standing there with tears in his eyes. His knuckles were white has he held his fox in a death grip.

"Mommy? Don't you like what I can do? Do you hate me?"

Kushina knelt in front of him, embracing him in a tight hug. She tried to soothe him as Minato kneeled beside her.

"No baby. I will never hate you. Me and your father love you, so don't ever think that we don't."

Naruto looked at his father who smiled and patted his head lovingly. "B-but you don't like what I can do, so you must not like me!"

Minato gripped his shoulders and wiped the tears from his face. "We love you, okay? That's all that matters."

Naruto nodded and sniffed. Kushina picked him up and took him to his room. She tucked him in and wished him goodnight before leaving. Naruto drifted off into sleep, the night's events far from his mind.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Note: <strong>Thanks for reading and _**review**_!

~_XxKageTenshixX_


	2. Chapter 2  Dreams Are Reality

**Author Note: **Thank you those who added this to their favorites and follows.

And **Thank you Sasha Naruto **and **A****tomic-Diamonds-Afterimage** for reviewing!

_ENJOY!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 2 - Dreams Are Reality<p>

Naruto was lying on his bed reading a book. He had taken a liking to the book ever since he got it for his birthday the week before.

The book told the story of a boy who had been born with supernatural powers. The boy, named Katsuya, was scared of his abilities and always tried to hide them from everyone, even though his parents would always tell him that he shouldn't be ashamed of who he was. It was Naruto's favorite book because it reminded him of his own family.

Just like Katsuya, Naruto's parents would always tell him that he was special, and that he should always be proud of who he was. Even though it had been four years since he had overheard his parents' argument, he never believed them when they would tell him that it was okay to be different. He could see the anxiety on their faces, the fear in their eyes. That fear made him more ashamed than anything.

He knew that his parents loved him. It wasn't like that look of fear was always there. The look was only present when he would accidentally use his powers. His parents would see how his powers continued to develop. The love in their eyes would turn to fear. Fear of what he could do or fear of Naruto himself, he wasn't sure, but Naruto didn't like either choice.

Especially since his birthday "celebration" last week.

Naruto and Kyuubi were sitting at the dining room table, waiting for their mother to bring in the cake. Their dad was off looking for matches to light the candles with. However, Minato came back without any matches, saying that there weren't any left. Naruto remembered feeling disappointed just before he glared at the candles, wishing that the ten candles placed in the middle would just light themselves. Much to his, and everyone else's surprise, they did.

Everyone stared at the cake in amazement before his mother told him to blow out the candles lest they ruin his cake. It was too late though. The moment was ruined. Ever since then his parents were more…. "dejected" in the things they did, for lack of a better term. At least Kyuubi was still his same old self. He didn't mind Naruto's powers; he thought they were cool.

Naruto smiled at that. Even in the worst situations, his big brother was always there for him. He never feared him.

Right now, Kyuubi was hanging out with some friends. His birthday was two days after Naruto's. Their mother wanted to throw him a party too, but he complained that since he was now 18, he's too old to have, as he so kindly put it, a "kiddy party".

Naruto sighed when he finished the book. The clock on his wall read _9:16_, but the blonde wasn't ready to go to bed just yet.

For weeks now, he's had the same recurring dream. The dream was always about a fire. The image of his parents surrounded by fire inside their burning house flashed across his mind's eye. A violent shiver passed through him and he clenched his eyes shut, hoping to block out the mirage that plagued him. He stayed like that, huddling himself underneath his blanket until he slipped into a dream-filled sleep.

_**~Dream~**_

_Naruto was inside his room. His bed, desk, and the old toys that he had kept through the years; all of it was being consumed by the flames. The flames licked at his skin, but never really touched him. He felt himself move. He threw open his door. Flames were all over the walls. Pictures of his family were quickly burning to ash._

_The beams above him suddenly started to give way. He was barely able to jump out of the way before they landed on him. That's when he heard them. Voices. He started to run towards the sounds, yelling for his parents. It never crossed his mind to call for his brother._

"_Mom?" Naruto's voice shouted over the roaring flames of the fire. "Dad?" No one answered him. The stair hadn't caught fire yet, so he tried his luck downstairs. "Mom! Dad! Can you hear me?"_

"_Naruto?" That sounded like his mother. _

_His heartbeat started to speed up. Running towards their living room, he froze. His parents were trapped behind what looked like Kyuubi's bedroom. A look at the ceiling told him he was right. The floor of his brother's room had collapsed. _

_Naruto looked desperately to find a way to get his parents free from the wreckage. Tears filled his eyes when he couldn't. He looked desperately at his parents. They were holding each other closely, yelling at him to leave, to save himself. _

_He shook his head, refusing to leave. The rubble from the ceiling prevented him from getting to them, but he wouldn't leave them either._

"_Naruto."_

_He felt himself look up, the tears flowing down his cheeks. _

"_We love you." _

_The flames suddenly roared and engulfed his parents in a curtain of dancing red. _

_His feet felt like they were going to burn off at any minute, but he couldn't stop running. _

_**~Dream~**_

Naruto sat up, his heart beating loudly in his ears. He again clenched his eyes shut tightly, pulling his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. He jumped slightly at the sound of someone knocking on his door. He didn't need to look up to know that it was his mother.

"Naruto?" she asked softly. "What's wrong?"

He didn't look at her, only buried his face into his knees. "What makes you think anything is wrong?"

From the corner of his eye, he could see his mother pick up one of the many fox dolls that lay spread across his bed and sit down next to him. She placed her hand gently on his back.

"I'm your mother. I always know when something is bothering you," she said.

He didn't say anything for a while, only looked at his mother's red hair, then at the doll that lay in her lap. He felt her hand rubbing circles on his back in a soothing manner. A sigh left his lips and a red tint filled his cheeks in embarrassment.

"I had a bad dream," he mumbled under his breath, hoping that he didn't sound like a baby.

His mother hugged him tightly. "Oh, my baby had a bad dream!"

The blush on Naruto's face deepened. "Mom!" he whined, struggling out of her grip. "Let go!"

Kushina shook her head, tears streaming from her eyes. "No, not until you tell me what that horrible dream was about!"

Much to Naruto's chagrin, his father just happened to be passing by his room. Great, just great. "What's this about a bad dream? Did our little Naruto have a nightmare?"

His mother nodded her head as Minato sat on the other side of him. "Yes! But he won't tell me what it was about!"

Sparing a quick look over, Naruto saw the tears that began to run down his father's face. Naruto yelped when his father hugged him and started to bawl like a baby. "My poor lil Naru!"

Naruto heaved a sigh and stopped trying to get out of their grip. It was absolutely useless at this point.

"Okay, okay! I'll tell you, just stop with the fake tears!" Just like that, his parents let go of him. Not a trace of the previous tears was found on their faces.

He couldn't help but smile at his parent's antics. It was their way of cheering him or Kyuubi up whenever either felt down. Strangely, it worked every time.

His father poked his shoulder in a friendly gesture. "So, what's bothering you?"

The smile on Naruto's face disappeared. He had known this time would come eventually. Looking back down at his knees, Naruto finally asked them the question that had been on his mind for a while.

"Do you love me?"

Even though his voice was only a whisper, his parents could hear it clear as day. He could feel his mother stiffen and his father grip his hand tightly.

"Naruto." His father's voice sounded strained. "Why would you think that we don't love you?"

Naruto couldn't look up. He didn't want to see the look on their faces. "Because of what I can do! You hate it! Don't try and tell me otherwise. I see the look in your eyes whenever I use these powers. You're scared of me and I can't help but think that you'll start to hate me too…just like you hate my powers."

For what felt like an eternity, his parents didn't say anything and he still couldn't bring himself to look at them. They hadn't said that they hated him, but they hadn't said that they loved him either.

He felt arms wrap around him in a warm embrace. He looked at his parents in shock. His father had him in a tight hug. Naruto could feel the tears falling from his father's face onto his. His mother was hugging him too, almost like they had done just a few minutes earlier. Except this time, the tears were real.

"Never think that. Never, ever think something like that," his father mumbled into the top of Naruto's head. His mother ran a hand through his blonde hair, softly singing a tune that he had heard before.

He relaxed into their hold, but only for a second. For some reason, he felt extremely strange. He tried shrugging off the feeling, but it only seemed to be getting worse. He could still hear his mother humming, but soon, everything started to become fuzzy.

His breath started to come out heavily and he could feel the sweat dampening his hair.

"—uto…"

It felt as if someone was holding him under water and wouldn't let him up. He felt a sudden constantly growing buildup of pressure.

"—aruto….!"

His father's voice sounded muffled. Naruto tried to listen, but the feeling was making it difficult.

"Ple—….ruto…!"

He could feel someone shaking him. It was making him dizzy and he couldn't think straight.

"Naruto!"

He felt the pressure suddenly release, leaving him in a state of numbness. The sound of his mother's scream broke through his consciousness. He looked up to see his father with his pillow trying to put out the fire on his bookshelf. His mother hugged him close to her body.

_How did that happen?_

He jumped when the pictures that hung on his wall burst into flames. His heart started to race and he knew that he was panicking. The desk, the carpet, everything around him started to burst aflame. His father looked lost, a look that Naruto hasn't ever seen on his face before.

Why was this happening? What was causing this?

His mother screamed. Her dress had somehow caught on fire. Naruto watched, feeling somewhat detached as his father helped her put out the flames. He could see the burns on his father's hands…as well as his mother's legs. Naruto stared, his mind slowly turning.

He couldn't be doing this…could he? It would make sense though. That feeling of pressure earlier and the fact that he had the ability to start a fire would explain how this happened.

Smoke was filling the room quickly. Though his parents were coughing, he was fine. The smoke wasn't affecting him.

"Come on! We have to get out!" His father grabbed his hand, pulling his frozen figure from the bed, which was the only thing that hadn't caught on fire yet. Minato grabbed the door handle, only to yelp and let go. Naruto guessed that the metal on the handle had gotten hot. They would have to bust the door down somehow.

"Stand back."

Naruto and his mother watched as his father rammed him shoulder into the door. The door didn't seem to want to budge. His father tried again, again with no results. Naruto looked up and his eyes widened. The ceiling above his father was starting to come apart. Before he had time to warn him, the ceiling caved in.

He could feel himself scream. He dropped down in front of his fallen parent. His father was beside him, tears streaming down his face.

"Kushina! Please, stay with me!" Minato held her hand, yelling at her to stay awake.

His mother lay trapped under the fallen roof. She had seen the collapsing roof and had pushed his father out the way. His father let out an anguished scream when she closed her eyes. Naruto couldn't tell if she was dead…but it didn't matter. The door was blocked by debris and his mother was trapped. There was no way that they could get his mother out from under the rubble by themselves. They needed help and Naruto was sure that by the time help arrived, they would have long since burned to death.

Throughout all of this, Naruto didn't cry. He just didn't have it in him to cry at the moment. Maybe it was because of the shock. Or maybe the situation just hadn't registered yet…

The ceiling above the space between him and his parents collapsed, separating them from each other.

_His parents were trapped behind what looked like Kyuubi's bedroom. A look at the ceiling told him he was right. The floor of his brother's room had collapsed. _

A feeling of déjà vu come over him as the dream started to play itself in his head. With it came a feeling of horror. There was no way this could be happening.

"N-Naruto"

Naruto wearily looked at his father. The man looked disheveled and worn. Blonde hair was singed and burn marks covered his body. He was coughing so bad that Naruto thought he would drop over dead from lack of oxygen.

"Naruto, son, I need you to climb out the window."

Naruto looked behind him. He had forgotten the window by his bed. Hope filled his heart. They could escape that way!

"Hurry! You don't have much time."

That hope soon disappeared.

"What about you?"

His father smiled sadly. "Don't worry, I'll be right behind you. I just have to get your mother out."

"B-but…she…I…I can't leave you!" Naruto swore he could feel his heart breaking.

His father was still smiling; the tears were falling heavier now. "It will be okay son."

_Lies_

Naruto looked at his mother, then back at his father. He could see the heartbreak on the face that was nearly identical to his own.

"Please. Don't leave me, _please_!" Naruto was crying now. This couldn't be happening. It just couldn't!

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. I can't leave your mother. You still have Kyuubi. Take care of yourself for us, okay?"

"No, no, no, no, no, no, no!" He was panicking again. There was that pressure again.

"Don't worry. Everything will be okay."

Naruto looked up, trying to catch one last glimpse of his father.

"I'm sorry it turned out this way, but I want you to know, me and your mother….we lo—"

That pressure inside of him exploded again. This time, it sent him flying backwards through the window. The world around him was spinning, the wind rushing through his ears as his body landed on something. He could hear glass breaking and something exploding. Sitting up quickly, he saw a house across from him up in flames. Recognition flowed through him. That was his house.

He looked around, not seeing his parents. He realized that they were still inside. Flames were blazing out of his room's window.

_Nonononononononono!_

"MOM! DAD!"

The voice of his brother startled Naruto somewhat. He could see Kyuubi, a mask of horror plastered all over his face. Slowly Naruto's eyes turned back to stare at the burning building. He barely heard the sirens or registered the flashing lights. Tears poured from his eyes.

One thing that stuck with him during this whole moment would stay with him for years to come.

"_Naruto."_

"_We love you." _

He had never gotten his parents to utter those words to him.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Note: <strong>Please **review!**

_~XxKageTenshixX_


	3. Chapter 3  No Such Thing As A Happy End

**Author Note: **Thank you those who added _**Fukasa No**** Kodoku**_ to their _Alerts_ and _Favorites_!

_ENJOY!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 3 – No Such Thing As A Happy Ending<p>

Naruto sat quietly on the sofa in his brother's apartment. Kyuubi was on the phone that was placed in the kitchen. Boxes were scattered around the house, some empty, some still full of its original content.

It had been nearly five months since that night Naruto has lost control of his powers. His memories of that night were still fresh in his mind. He remembered hearing Kyuubi yelling for their parents, and the flash of red and blue lights from the ambulance. He remembered the firemen spraying his house down with water while his brother hugged him. He remembered seeing the paramedics enter their house and exit with two charred bodies, the smell of burnt flesh made him want to empty his stomach. He didn't learn the condition of his parents until late the next day.

They were still alive, but barely. Their bodies were barely recognizable and they had to be put on life-support. They were in critical condition, but at least they were alive.

Naruto didn't know what happened, but he had ended up in his brother's embrace, crying his heart out. That is, until he told Kyuubi what happened. His brother had froze and looked at him with disbelief and such betrayal that it made his heart ache. His brother had pushed him away, locking himself inside his room for hours. When he finally came out, he wouldn't as much as look at Naruto. It took the blonde a week to get his brother to talk to him, to forgive him, but Kyuubi had only told him to stay out of his way.

Ever since then, the brother barely spoke to each other. Naruto tried his hardest to get his brother to acknowledge him, but nothing worked. It hurt to think his older brother wanted nothing to do with him. Even after he begged him to see that it was all an accident. It wasn't like he wanted to burn his parents to the point where they couldn't even breathe on their own. But knowing that he did was going to stay with him forever.

A look at the clock on the wall made him wonder when they were going to visit their parents in the hospital. Getting up from the sofa, Naruto quietly made his way towards the kitchen. His brother hated it when he made too much noise. He froze as the doorway at the sound of his brother's voice.

"…Go ahead and pull it…I-I just don't want them to suffer anymore than they already have."

"Who are you talking to, Kyuubi?"

Kyuubi looked at him, a range of emotions flashing across his face before he had any time to read them and turned to look at the picture of their parents he had sitting on the bare kitchen counter. He quickly thanked whoever was on the phone and said goodbye. He hung up the phone, not looking at Naruto as he passed him into the living room.

Naruto watched as Kyuubi started digging through a box, the one that held some of their parents personal stuff. Only a couple of rooms in their burned down house was completely unsalvageable after the fire, that included his room and the bathroom next to it. Everything else was covered in soot and only held minor damage. It hurt to know that all of his stuff was gone. Except for the fox doll that his father had given him when he was six. It was the only thing that survived, only the ends of its tail being slightly singed

After a few minutes of rummaging, Kyuubi stood up, a photo of their parents in his hand. It was the one he and Kyuubi had secretly took of his parents on their anniversary a year ago. Their parents were sitting at the table in their old kitchen, having a home-cooked dinner. They were staring at each other, making goo-goo eyes at each other. Naruto smiled slightly when he remembered how red their faces were when he and Kyuubi showed them the pictures.

He missed those times.

Kyuubi walked passed him again, into the kitchen. Naruto followed, watching his brother sit the picture down on the counter and reach for a cup from the cupboards.

"That was the hospital mom and dad are in…"

A sinking feeling crammed into his stomach. He swallowed. "R-really? Was there any progress? Did they wake up?" Hope lacing his words.

Kyuubi didn't answer at first, only filling the cup up with water and taking a shaky sip. "No…I…I told them to cut the plugs on their life support."

Naruto's breathing stopped. He stared blankly at his brother. He couldn't have heard that right. There was no way. He waited for his brother to tell him that this was some sick joke. When Kyuubi remained quiet, he snapped.

"How could you do that? Why would you do that?" He yelled. "You could have waited longer before deciding something like this? Don't you care?"

"They were already brain dead. There was no reason to cling to false hope."

He couldn't believe his brother did something like this, especially without asking him first. "How could you make a decision like this without me?" His brother ignored him. That seemed to tip him over the edge. "HOW COULD YOU KILL THEM?"

_Smack!_

Naruto's head snapped sideways, his eyes wide with shock. He placed a hand on his cheek. Did his brother just hit him? His brother had never hit him before. Sure enough, his cheek was sporting a hand shaped red mark. Tears sprung to his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. He turned towards Kyuubi and wished that he hadn't.

His brother's face was red with anger, His read eyes seem to glow. He tried to take a step back, but Kyuubi grabbed him by his shirt collar.

"Don't you _ever_ accuse me of killing out parents, that right goes to you." His voice was quiet but it held such animosity that he thought he might wilt under that stare. "It's your fault that they ended up like that! No wonder mom and dad never liked your stupid powers. They could see the dangers, and I was too naive to understand what an abomination it was. Now they're dead and it's your fucking fault, you freak!"

Kyuubi pushed Naruto, sending the blonde crashing into the small table, and stormed off. Naruto stayed on the floor. The tears that he had been holding for so long finally running down his pale face. Never…never had Kyuubi done anything like that before. And it scared him. Wrapping his arms round his middle, he cried on the kitchen floor. His parents were dead and his only living relative blamed him for their deaths.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

~*~**FNK**~*~

The day was sunny and bright, the birds were flying from tree to tree, enjoying the beginning of spring. It would have been a fairly happy day, he wasn't burying his parents into the ground.

Naruto stood in front of his parents' casket. Their bodies too damaged for them to have an open casket ceremony. Kyuubi had decided that since they died together, they should at least respect them and bury them together in the same casket. He didn't pay attention to the pastor that quoting some scripture, only placing two white flowers on top of the casket. He wished that he could cry, but his tears had run dry long ago.

He watched numbly as the casket was lowered into the ground and covered in dirt. He wanted desperately to yell at them to stop, that his parents might still be alive, but that wasn't going to happen. His parents were dead and that was it. People came up to him, giving him their condolences, but he didn't really notice. He felt as if he wasn't really there.

He didn't remember how he ended up in his brother's car until they were halfway home. His brother didn't speak to him as they exited the car, but that wasn't anything new. The blonde was lucky if his brother looked at him, even if it was for only a second. At least he knew that he was acknowledged.

Kyuubi unlocked the door and went inside, leaving Naruto standing outside. Something wasn't right. He could feel it. But, like always, he pushed the feelings away. Stepping inside, he quickly caught the duffle bag that Kyuubi threw at him.

"Pack your things."

Naruto looks up confused. "Where are we going?"

Kyuubi didn't answer. He turned and stocked off to his room, slamming the door behind him. Naruto sighed and went to his room and began packing the little things he had.

Before Naruto had told Kyuubi what exactly had happened, his brother had taken him out shopping to replace the clothes and necessities that he lost. Thanks to their parents' emergency savings account, they were able to rent out an apartment for a few months, at least until they could figure out what they were going to do about their house.

Naruto placed the last of his belongings into the bag and zipped it up. Setting aside some clothes, he changed out of the black suit he wore for the funeral and into some jeans and a plain orange t-shirt. He grabbed the fox doll off his bed and walked out. Kyuubi had changed out of his black clothes and was already waiting for him by the door. Without a word, they left the house and headed to his brother's car. Kyuubi snatched his bag and tossed it in the backseat.

"Hurry up and get in, I don't have all day."

Naruto flinched at the tone his brother used, quickly getting in the front seat. Kyuubi started the car and pulled off.

He watched absently at the scene passing him by outside the car. He vaguely wondered where they were going, but knew better than to ask his brother.

After an hour of driving, his eyes wondered over to Kyuubi. The red-head's face was blank but his eyes held so many emotions that he had to wonder what was on his mind. Probably his parents.

His eyes went back to watching outside. Soon, the scenery around started to seem familiar. He racked his brain for a reason why and when he found it, his eyes widened. He recognized this road.

"Kyuubi, where are we going?" His brother didn't answer. "Kyuubi! Please, tell me where we're going!" His voice was frantic now and his grip on his fox tightened. Finally, he asked, his voice was soft and shaky. "Are you taking me to an orphanage?"

If it could get any quieter in that car, it did. Naruto waited for an answer, desperate to know if his brother was going to abandon him.

Kyuubi didn't say anything, but his eyes said it all. Tears were springing to Naruto's eyes. "Why?"

Kyuubi bit his lip, his eyes never leaving the road in front of them. "I'm 18 now. I start college in a few months; I have a life to live. Even if I wanted to keep you, the money that our parents left us, it's just not enough. I…I just can't afford to take care of someone like you."

Naruto turned away, hugging his doll to his chest. He didn't care that it made him look childish; the toy that his father had given him was his only source of comfort. So that was it. His brother didn't want him. He was sending him away to an orphanage. He knew that their parents had left enough money in their Will to at least keep them going for a few years. They had planned ahead, saving up as much money they could, just in case something happened to them before him and Kyuubi grew up.

The rest of the ride was in silence. Naruto couldn't look at his brother or else he would start begging him not to send him away, which he knew at this point was useless.

"We're here." Kyuubi said softly as he pulled in front of the building.

Naruto looked up at the tall building. He never thought he would ever have to come here. Kyuubi grabbed his bag from the backseat and walked to the door. Naruto followed slowly, his legs felling like jelly all the way. His bag was roughly handed to him before Kyuubi knocked. A woman in her mid 50's answered the door, a fake smile plastered onto her face.

"You must be Kyuubi. We've been expecting you for a while now." She said. Her gray eyes turned to Naruto and seemed to narrow at the sight of him. "Ah, and you must be Naruto. I'm Hanako Fujii, the headmistress of this orphanage. We hope you have a wonderful stay here."

Naruto's stomach twisted. She made it sound as if he wanted to be here.

He sent one last pleading look at his brother. "Please, don't leave me here."

For the first time in months, Kyuubi finally looked at him. His red eyes were barely recognizable as the person that was once his brother. Naruto felt his hopes turn to ash at the coldness in those eyes that used to hold so much love for him.

"It's better this way." That was the last thing Kyuubi said to him before he walked away and out of his life. Naruto felt his heart breaking as he watched his brother's car drive off into the distance. The Headmistress gripped him upper arm tightly and drug him inside the building.

"Listen, because I'm only going to tell you once. You are to follow the rules that I have set here, or there will be severe consequences. Do you understand me?"

Naruto nodded numbly, that detached feeling coming back to him again. The lady pulled him down the hall, causing him to trip over his own feet. He briefly noticed that none of the other children that resided there were nowhere to be seen.

They passed room after room until they got to one at the end of the hallway. The headmistress threw open the door and pushed him inside. Naruto barely caught himself before he landed face first on the floor.

"This is your room. You will stay here until I tell you otherwise and I don't want to hear a sound from you." She slammed the door hard enough for him to feel the vibration through his feet.

Wearily, Naruto examined his new room. It was smaller than what he was used to, only a twin size bed and dresser occupied the area. Dropping his bag on the floor, he climbed into the bed. The day's events were finally taking its toll on him. Tears poured from him eyes and he let out a quiet sob.

"_Everything will be okay."_

That was what his dad had told him. But he couldn't help but feel as if things were going to get worse.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Note: <strong>Please review!

_~XxKageTenshixX_


	4. Chapter 4 A New Reality

**Author Note:**Thank you everyone who added _**Fukasa No**** Kodoku**_to their _Alerts _and _Favorites!_

And a Special_ **Thank you**_to **GreenEggsN'Ham, Blood Shifter2, Warrior of Sangre, **and **Guest** for reviewing!

_Enjoy!_

* * *

><p>Chapter 4 – A New Reality<p>

Kyuubi sighed tiredly before looking approvingly at the neat desk in front of him. Papers were stacked in a neat pile, ready to be faxed in the morning and a few folders sat on top of his file cabinet. When he was sure that all everything was where it should be, he shut down his computer and packed his briefcase.

"Still working I see."

Looking up at the man at his door, Kyuubi gave a playful scowl. "I just finished…no thanks to you."

Itachi said nothing, choosing to give him a slight shrug instead. Heaving another sigh, Kyuubi stood, collecting the last of his things and heading towards the door. Itachi followed him out, closing the door behind them.

The two men walked side by side, in comfortable silence until Kyuubi spoke.

"How is the family doing? I haven't seen them lately."

"They're fine. Sasuke has joined the basketball team and was elected Student President and father has been meddling with the company's business deals again. I'm sure you noticed the extra papers on your desk dealing with that new corporation in New Zealand…"

"That was him?" Kyuubi asked in disbelief. "I thought you were the one adding to the increasing stack of papers on my desk…"

Itachi shook his head in amusement. "No, it was him."

Kyuubi laughed uneasily, scratching the back of his head. "You would think for a man that has retired early, he would be out enjoying his life and not continuing to meddling in the company anymore."

Itachi looked at Kyuubi, raising an eyebrow "You _have_ met my father, right?"

Kyuubi scowled and hit the other man on the arm. "Don't give that look!"

Itachi chuckled and kept walking. Kyuubi followed behind him, scowl melting off his face.

He and Itachi have been friends for the past 7 years, ever since they meet as freshmen at collage. Of course, the black haired man was irritating at first, but soon enough he found himself almost attached at the hip with the man. Which quickly became annoying when he discovered that Itachi was the reason he could never find a girlfriend—the man always intimidated people for some reason.

Soon enough, he found himself a constant visitor in the Uchiha household. When Mikoto and Fugaku, Itachi's parents, discovered that his own parents had passed, he had somewhat been adopted into the family. Birthdays, Christmas, parties, he found himself always present when it came to that family. After he graduated college, Fugaku had approached him about working for him. Seeing as he really had no plan for what he wanted to do in his life, he accepted the offer. That's how he found himself vice-president and co-owner of one of the most successful company's in the world—The Uchiha Corporation—besides Itachi. He had worked for his father for years, even before he started collage and took over once his father stepped down a couple years ago.

Sometimes he would like to sit back and watch the Uchiha family, which always reminded him of his own. Fugaku was more strict and cold, but he loved his family. Mikoto reminded him of his mother, especially with all the mothering she did when he was around. Sasuke was just like his older brother—both had that "all knowing" attitude all the time that drove him crazy but always had this admiration in his eyes when he looked at Itachi. It reminded him of his own little brother that he has selfishly left at that Orphanage.

Kyuubi never talked about his own family. Everybody knew about his deceased parents that both died in a house fire—which was true—but nobody knew that he had a brother.

As much as his heart screamed at him to go back and take Naruto from that place, his brain told him it was probably for the best.

A nudge to his side and that raised eyebrow on his friend's face told him that he had drifted off in his memories again.

"Sorry." He said sheepishly.

"A lot on your mind?" Itachi asked, pushing the button for the elevator. A soft "ding" sounded and the doors opened.

"Yeah, It's today, you know…" Kyuubi said after they stepped into the elevator, watching Itachi press the button for the first floor.

Itachi hummed as he recalled the date but didn't say anything else. When the doors opened again, both men stepped out and headed for the front entrance.

"Goodbye Mr. Uchiha, Mr. Namikaze." The lady at the front desk said to them as they passed.

Kyuubi smiled and waved. "Goodbye to you to Mrs. Une!"

Pulling out his keys from his back pocket, Kyuubi unlocked his car. Tossing his briefcase in the passengers' seat, he started his car.

"When do you think you're going to come over again? Mother has been asking for days" Itachi asked from the sidewalk.

Kyuubi tapped his chin in thought. "How about tonight? It'll help take my mind off things."

Itachi nodded "I will let her know." Without another word, Itachi walked off.

Closing his car door, Kyuubi began to make his way home. It didn't take long since he only lived 15 minutes away in a nice apartment complex on the outskirts if Konoha. Turning off his car, he grabbed his stuff and began his journey to apartment 216. Opening the door, he flicked on the lights.

The apartment itself was a nice size, equipped with a living room, kitchen, two full bathrooms and three bedrooms. He didn't really need all this space, especially since he never had anyone over, but he was renting the place for a decent price so, he didn't really mind.

Leaving his briefcase on the sofa, he undid his tie and took off his black suit changing into something more comfortable for tonight. Putting on a t-shirt and jeans, he made his way into the bathroom and looked himself over in the mirror, frowning when he saw how tangled his hair was. Through the years, Kyuubi had kept his ponytail and while he got his hair color form his mother, he was sure the unruly hair itself came from his father.

When he was sure his hair was neat, as neat as he could get it, Kyuubi headed back to the living room and picked up his keys, stopping to look at the picture next to it.

Kyuubi has tons of pictures lying around his house, but this particular one was the only picture he had of his whole family. The other just being of his deceased parents. He stared at it for a while, his eyes focused on the small blonde child smiling happily at the camera. Kyuubi himself stood right next the child while his parents stood behind them, all wearing identical smile.

Today was the anniversary of his parents death and the day he had made Naruto an orphaned child.

Tearing his eyes away from the photo, he sat the picture back down, grabbing his coat and leaving the apartment.

***FNK*FNK***

Far outside the city of Konoha, a 17 year old Naruto resided in a cold and dingy area he called his room. The room resided in the basement of the large house he currently lived in. It didn't possess any windows, the only source of light coming from the light bulb hanging from the ceiling at the center of the room and the only exit was a metal door that was bolted shut form the outside.

Naruto sat quietly in the corner of his "room", staring unseeingly at the grey floor, the only thing clothing him was a torn t-shirt that was five sizes too big for him and a pair of faded blue jeans. A black device that looked like a collar was strapped around his neck.

A few clicks sounded from the door as it was unlocked but he never took his eyes from the floor. With a heavy 'whoosh', the door open, scrapping along the floor as it did.

"Get up." The command was harsh and cold as it left the man's mouth.

Naruto wasted no time in following, taking his eyes off the floor to stare into cold black ones. The man tossed a small bag at him, which Naruto caught with no trouble. "Pack your things. We leave in an hour."

The man never waited for a response, he left, closing and locking the door behind him.

Naruto looked down at the bag and then around him. The only thing in this room that he owned was a small bed—that was too worn to be of any use, some clothing, a torn journal, and the fox doll his dad had given him when he was little. No real reason to even have the bag, but he never asked questions. Not anymore. Naruto stuffed the few possessions he had left in the bag and hugged it tightly as he sat back down in his corner.

They were moving. Again. He wasn't quite sure if he liked the ideal, though he never did, but he chose not to dwell on it. He would wait in his corner until it was time to leave. Just like he always did.

***FNK*FNK***

"Thank you for the dinner. It was delicious, like always." Kyuubi said sincerely.

Mikoto smiled softly, "You're welcome. You know you are always welcomed for extra if you want, you're still far too skinny for my liking."

Kyuubi laughed. "No thanks Mama Miko, I'm rather full." To prove his point, he patted his stomach.

"Not this time! Take some home with you! It's not like my boys need anymore. Except maybe my little Sasuke, such the athlete! He need his proteins, don't you baby?" She turned towards Sasuke, who had the luck of sitting next to his mother when she decided to pinch his cheeks lovingly.

"Mom!" Sasuke pulled away, his face red with embarrassment and the ever present scowl on his face.

"Mikoto, stop babying your son at the table." Fugaku said, taking another bite out of his fried fish.

Kyuubi laughed, ignoring the glare that the youngest Uchiha was throwing his way.

"Well, I might as well get going. I have a lot of things to work on tomorrow morning." Kyuubi stood, picking up his plate and placing it inside the sink in the kitchen. Itachi and Sasuke followed his lead.

"My Itachi isn't working you to hard, is he?" Mikoto asked, walking him to the door.

"No, he's not…of course I can't say the same for someone else in the room."

Mikoto turned around and sent a glare at her husband, who stood behind them, avoiding his wife's look.

Itachi leaned near his ear. "I see I won't be getting any sleep tonight."

Kyuubi just grinned. "Sasuke, I hear you joined the basketball team this year." A nod was his only answer. "I'll try to make it to your first game." He said, ruffling the younger's hair.

"Hey!" Sasuke pulled back, patting his hair back to its original shape. "It's the first week of August….Friday." he mumbled.

"You'll do great." He said before grabbing his coat. "I'll see you guys later!"

"Bye Sweetie!" Mikoto yelled, elbowing her grumbling husband and waving. Itachi and Sasuke uttered a "Goodbye" before watching the red haired man get in his car and drive away.

When Kyuubi finally got home, he pulled off his shoes and made his way to his room, collapsing on his bed. Not even bothering to change into his night clothes, he pulled the covers around him and drifted off to sleep. Ignoring the uneasy feeling that had been bothering him all night.

* * *

><p><strong>Author Note: <strong> Thank you for reading and **_REVIEW!_**

_~XxKageTenshixX_


	5. Author's Note! Not bad, I promise!

It's Important that you read this! Especially you readers that are highly upset at me.

Hey guys. I'm doing a note for each of my stories, so some of you will be getting more than one notification. And if you're part of that group that will be getting more than one of theses, than all I ask is that you read the paragraph that highlights your story to know whether or not I will be continuing that particular fiction or not. You won't have to reread anything.

First, I want to thank all of you for sticking with me. No, I haven't forgotten about you guys or any of my stories. If I didn't mention it before, I work full time and I've been attending college here and there. So, it's a little bit hectic for the past two years. Due to college only making me more confused as to what the hell I'm doing with my life, I'm taking a short break from school. And that means more time for writing.

To be honest, I've done you guys a wrong. When I came up with these ideas, I wasn't suppose to post anything until I hade at least 14 chapters written and ready to go. Obviously that didn't happen and this has been the result. To add to that, I was only suppose to stick with one story for a while before adding anymore but I got impatient and disregarded those decisions altogether. And for those reviewers (and the rest of you), yes I could be a better writer if I was better at communicating with my readers. But I'm not, and my time management skills have always been a work in progress.

I've never wanted to be one of those authors that every other update is a note explaining why they've postponed a story, but that's basically what I've been doing…minus the note. So I'm trying to start off this next year out a little better.

Starting next year (in 2015), I will be starting back up my stories. But while I will be continuing stories, I won't be doing them all at once. Out of the 4 that I currently have out, I will be updating one first, and the later on, I will slowly start the others back up one by one.

I have been writing paragraphs here and there, but I still have a lot of work to do. Mostly that work will involve rereading my stories and my notes to get a feel for my stories again. I also am trying to get another laptop, seeing as I drop my last one and it's basically broken.

To _**The Darkness That Binds Him**_ followers: While this story has been the most popular, it's been the most difficult to write. I started this story with a vision of how I wanted it to begin but I never knew how I wanted to finish it. This has left me with several possible ending, events, etc. If you've left a review about a person, place or event happening in this story, more than likely, I've tried to incorporate in a current/future chapter somehow. This has left me at a standstill. Too many opinions and I always have a desire to mold the story to you guys liking but I will probably have to stop that. I like details in this story and I'm trying not to stray too far from what each character is actually like. So because this is the most frustrating to write, I will most likely be updating this story first. THIS IS NOT FINAL. My decision to update first could change, and if it does, I will let you know. Additionally, because the Naruto manga has finally stopped, I will be finishing the last 200ish chapters to see how I will finish off the _**TDTBH.**_

To _**The Fourteenth Child**_ followers: While I'm not struggling as bad as my other stories, I have drafts upon drafts of how I want each chapter to split. I'm playing with the story line to see how I want it to go. Really, I was hoping to wait for some new chapters from the manga to come out, to get a better feel for how the story itself will play out but….you know. Anyway, besides going back and rereading the story itself, I will also be going back and reading the manga series again. Basically, _**TFC**_ will be continued but it will be a while before I post anything. It won't be to long though.

To the _**Team Failure**_ followers: Because this fiction was not thought of by me and was a request that I took from someone else, the status on whether I will continue this or not is still undecided. If my request-y decided that they don't want me to continue, I won't. The story will be taken down. On the chance that they want me to continue, I will have to discuss with them what they want done. In this case this story would be the first to be updated, and not _**TDTBH.**_

To the _**Fukasa No Kodoku**_ followers: I'll be honest, out of all of the possible stories that I could have posted, I have no idea why I even chose this one. I haven't even made it past chapter 5's chapter guide. And to be honest, between the other 3 stories, I've got so much going on with those that I considered just taking the story off the site. But because _someone_ actually likes it, I will be keeping the story on the site. Just be warned. When I do post, this will be the last story I would update.

Currently, I am working my way through reviews, PM's and emails, so everything is a work in progress! I've got to sort through my story notes and revise them. More than likely, I will take down every chapter and repost them, since it's been and I'm sure all of you need a refresher. I would love to tell you guys when to expect your story of choice to be updated, but I've already said my time management is atrocious. I'd hate for you to be even more disappointed.

Thank you again for tolerating me. And for those who've basically called me every word in the insult book, I hope you're somewhat satisfied.

Any question, concern or in need of a vent of a life time; just PM me or leave a review. I read both.

I hope you guys had a great Christmas/Holiday and Happy New Year!


End file.
